Steven Gordon 3: The Modloch Empire Read online

  The Modloch Empire

  J W Murison

  Copyright © 2016 JW Murison

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN:

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  DEDICATION

  In memory of Don Michaud

  1937-2016

  When you talk to a fighting man my son, stand tall and hold your head high. Look him straight in the eye and let him see the metal that lies deep within. Treat him with respect and you need never feel afraid. For this man shall forever stand between you and those that would do you harm. He will give his life if need be to keep you and yours safe. For those fighting men that made it through the wars, there will be no parades of remembrance. There will be no statues, no names inlaid in gold on the roll of honour. Yet he will not complain, for his battles were won and he returned to those he loved and who loved him. This was reward enough. If you come across a place where one of these fighting men were laid to rest then lower your head, close your eyes for a moment and give thanks. Honour and revere them, for these are the men that saw the battle won.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I would like to thank Jeannie Michaud for her continued support of my writing and novels. Thank you for the new covers Jeannie and know that my heart goes out to you and your loved ones.

  Contents

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  CHAPTER 26

  CHAPTER 27

  CHAPTER 28

  CHAPTER 29

  CHAPTER 30

  CHAPTER 31

  CHAPTER 32

  CHAPTER 33

  CHAPTER 34

  CHAPTER 35

  CHAPTER 36

  CHAPTER 37

  CHAPTER 38

  CHAPTER 39

  CHAPTER 40

  CHAPTER 41

  CHAPTER 42

  CHAPTER 43

  CHAPTER 44

  CHAPTER 45

  CHAPTER 46

  CHAPTER 47

  CHAPTER 48

  CHAPTER 49

  CHAPTER 50

  CHAPTER 51

  CHAPTER 52

  CHAPTER 53

  CHAPTER 54

  CHAPTER 55

  CHAPTER 56

  CHAPTER 57

  CHAPTER 58

  CHAPTER 59

  CHAPTER 60

  CHAPTER 1

  The infernal noise banged on for hours. Strange soldiers in strange uniforms, marching to strange musical instruments that the Human ear could not appreciate. It was the official handing over of the giant city ship to the Modloch Emperor. There were a few Humans who wished for the city ship to be retained by Earth’s forces, but those in power knew the importance of getting rid of the hard won goliath.

  This was all supposed to have taken place weeks before, on the day the Humans crossed the great barrier. It had started well enough; however, within a few hours of crossing the barrier the Modloch ambassador to Earth, the only survivor of the Burning Winds crew, collapsed. Panic had ensued. The ambassador had been whisked away into isolation and the city ship abandoned to the Humans. The Emperor had retreated hastily to his own personal battle cruiser, the biggest in the Modloch fleet, and the Humans had endured a six week quarantine. Things had been very tense to begin with and the Humans had been unsure of whether they were going to be attacked by the Modloch fleet.

  The ambassador had been diagnosed with the plague, the same one that had cost billions of lives thousands of years before. Despite this he had recovered after a few weeks, and was now almost completely fit again. The Modloch had sent suited doctors onto all of the Human’s ships and conducted tests on a sample number of each crew. No Humans showed any signs or symptoms of the strange plague. On board the city ship, teams of Modloch had proceeded to decontaminate the whole city.

  It had been decided that the official ceremony to hand over the city ship would take place at the Modloch home world, and both fleets had set course. They had arrived a week previously, and preparations for the handover had begun.

  As no one else came down with the strange plague tensions had begun to ease, and both fleets began the journey towards the Modloch home world. Another problem had arisen though. The Modloch Emperor refused to negotiate with the team sent alongside the fleet, or even with the designated ambassador. To that end a leader had to be chosen on Earth to represent the whole planet and rushed out to join the fleet.

  Earth had chosen the current American president, who turned his administration over to his vice president and rushed out to join the fleet. He wasn’t the only representative of Earth to arrive. The first thing the President had done was to invite the British King. It was a very shrewd move on his part. The Modloch Emperor finally felt he had someone of equal status to talk to.

  The King and his new bride had been presented to the Emperor the evening before, with the full pomp and ceremony deserving of the occasion. The two monarchs had immediately hit it off. Now they sat side by side in their full regalia chatting easily as the ceremonies unfolded before them.

  Now it was the British King’s turn to describe what was happening to the Modloch Emperor as the Humans began their part of the ceremony. The massed pipes and drums of the Scottish division began the show and there was an immediate wailing of distress from the gathered Modloch nobles. The Emperor stilled the noise with a disapproving look, and the distress soon turned to curiosity as the Highlanders came into view in all their finery. Right after them came the soldiers of the Highland division; the Modloch were captivated as they marched past in review. After them came soldiers from many different nations, and of course the special display teams. The whirling silvered bayonets left them all dazzled.

  The grand affair was held in front of the old command centre, the grandest building on the city ship. It had now been moved to a secondary command centre and the original building was being converted into a royal residence. In front of it, stands had been erected for the purpose of this grand event. It was set in tiers. The highest was for the Emperor and his guests. From there they stepped down. Military commanders, then nobles and round the side of the large square, the top families of the Modloch nation.

  Steven Gordon and the men of his unit had been given a place on a tier low down on the main stand. It was a mark of respect for their part in the battle to capture the city ship. Steven suspected that if it hadn’t been for Lady Jane’s status and her relationship to the King, they well may have never been invited at all. He stood with Komoru at his side. He was in a kilt and she stunning in a pink silk Kimono. It had been a wonderful spectacle and Komoru had especially enjoyed it. Steven’s eyes flicked up towards the Emperor’s grandstand. The Emperor was obviously laughing at something the King had said. Isobel sat next to the King and at her side sat Lady Jane. She wasn’t the only one from the ship’s company to be sitting in the royal box. Mya also sat in the box, slightly to the rear of the Emperor in the place that would have been reserved for his brother Gairloch, who had died many months ago on the African plain, back on Earth. Gairloch wasn’t the only one who was smitten by the tiny Mya. The Emperor himself seemed to have
fallen under her spell.

  Steven’s only interview with the Emperor had concerned the passing of his brother. Steven had to answer a barrage of questions while the Emperor interrogated him.

  When Steven had returned to his ship he had Babes search for every piece of information she could on Gairloch’s visit to Earth. Steven edited it into a documentary style film and sent it to the Emperor. The Emperor has sent a personal note of thanks, something which was considered a great honour in the Modloch Empire.

  The men around Steven were all dressed in the new fleet dress uniform. All except Charlie, who was dressed in the full dress uniform of the Gordon Highlanders. Although he was now a full crew member, he was still legally in the Scottish army.

  Buzz Anderson sat to Steven’s right, his eyes gleaming at the spectacle. Behind them sat the officers of his crew. In the third row were the bridge crew along with Charlie and Sergeant Kelly. Kelly was wearing his 1945 dress uniform that babes had made for him on the day he met Gairloch. There was a vast contrast in the medals worn by the two men. Both uniforms were adorned by sergeant stripes.

  The last event was the final of the Brickwoods Trophy, a Naval Gun Competition that had been going on for over a hundred years. This year there were finalists from each branch of the service. It was a competition unique to the British forces, and many had never seen the spectacle before.

  Hundreds of men ran onto the square and set up the obstacles. The three teams took up their places while a commentator described what was happening and the history behind the competition. By the time he was finished, a silent expectation hung over the gathered crowed.

  A flashbang started the race. The gathered Modloch howled with glee as the guns were taken to pieces and ran over the course. As the last gun fired off its three blank rounds of the competition, the Modloch people came to their feet and stomped their appreciation. Even the Modloch Emperor had come to his feet and was clapping in a Human fashion, which many of his people copied. The King also stood to clap his appreciation of the race.

  A senior officer presented a replica of the prestigious Brickwoods Trophy, and again the crowd showed their appreciation.

  With the ceremony over, the Emperor addressed the gathered dignitaries and nobles. He thanked all those who took part in the ceremony to celebrate the forming of this new alliance between worlds. The celebrations would conclude with a royal banquet that evening at the palace.

  CHAPTER 2

  Back on board their ship Steven had sought out Charlie. He wanted to know if Charlie had picked up any of the Emperor’s stray thoughts. Charlie admitted he had been able to pick up one or two, but apart from enjoying himself the Emperor had given away nothing of use. Steven returned to his own room, frustrated at his lack of progress. For weeks now they had been stuck in the shadow of the fleet while he had been pushed farther and farther away from the centre of power. That in itself didn’t bother him. In fact it pleased him no end. However, before he waltzed off into the unknown, he had wanted to know exactly what the Modloch Emperor was thinking. To that end he had taken Charlie with him when he was interviewed by the Emperor, but Charlie had been stopped at the spaceport and not allowed on board the city ship.

  Steven took off his jacket and tie and slumped onto his seat. He spun it round to face the wall and sent a silent command. The wall in front of him began to shimmer and the Modloch planet in all its glory was revealed to him. It reminded Steven of a green marble he once had as a child. Bands of different greens encircled the world. The top and bottom of the strange planet were white capped. They already knew that the planet was larger than Earth and had no wobble. There were no seasons here, and most of the water was trapped at the poles. There were occasional large water-filled lakes that resembled inland seas, but there was nothing like the great oceans that existed on Earth. At one time the centre of the planet had been a vast desert, but now it was a solid green band. Technology had long since defeated the great singing sands. White bands of clouds radiated out from the great white poles, adding to the marble like effect of the planet. Steven thought it was beautiful and could sit for hours trying to make out the details below. Vast cities stretched along the edges of the bands. At night time they resembled rings of fire.

  There was a slight buzzing in his ear and Hailey’s voice spoke in his mind. ‘Captain, the President is here to see you, will I show him to your quarters?’

  Steven was surprised, ‘Yes please Hailey.’

  A few seconds later the ex-American President, new Earth President, descended into his living quarters. Steven got up and met him halfway across the floor. They shook hands warmly.

  ‘Good afternoon Mr President, this is an unexpected pleasure.’

  ‘It has been a while, Captain Gordon.’ His eyes flicked up to the view, ‘Oh wow... may I take a moment?’

  Steven smiled, ‘Help yourself.’

  The President went over to the sitting area. ‘Is this a window?’

  ‘Not really, the ship can make her hull translucent, you are actually looking through a section of the hull sir.’

  ‘Amazing! Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would be standing looking down on an alien planet, and it is all thanks to you.’

  Steven shrugged, ‘I don’t know what to say sir.’

  The President shook his head, ‘I don’t suppose you do. I don’t think I would know what to say either if I were in your shoes. However, the fact remains that Humanity owes you a great debt that can never be fully repaid.’

  ‘I simply did what I believed had to be done sir.’

  ‘I know, and we didn’t make it easy for you either. My predecessor especially.’

  ‘Water under the bridge now sir.’

  ‘Glad to hear it, still it leaves a sour taste in my mouth, and that of many Americans.’

  ‘If it wasn’t for your cooperation sir, we could never have got the fleet ready.’

  The President smiled, ‘I let you salvage rubbish from old landfill sights. Hardly a great contribution. In fact you solved a growing problem for us as well.’

  ‘America did far more than that sir, and is still contributing. A lot of Americans died in the war. I will never forget that.’

  ‘Do you feel responsible for their deaths, Captain?’

  ‘To some extent, yes sir.’

  ‘Without you, none of us would exist by now. Every war is a tragedy. You did not start it, neither did mankind, but we won it. The first battle anyway. I realise that you pulled us kicking and screaming into a new era. However we are here now, and I believe you are being pushed to the side-lines. I don’t like that. The question I would like answered is: what would you like to do now? Do you want to take a political role in what is to come or not? I for one will make sure that you will get any job you wish to undertake.’

  Steven smiled, ‘I have no political aspirations at all sir.’

  ‘Then what can we do for you?’

  ‘Release me from the military bonds I have been placed under.’

  The President grinned, ‘You mean let you please yourself what you do?’

  Steven smiled back, ‘Just about, aye.’

  The President laughed openly, ‘How about we send you on a mission to discover new life and new civilizations?’

  ‘To boldly go where no man has gone before,’ Steven finished the line from the old TV series with a laugh. ‘That would suit me fine sir.’

  The President mulled something over for a few moments while he studied the planet below.

  ‘You can’t really just go around wherever you want, can you?’

  ‘No not really, but it’s far more difficult if your ship is designated as a military vessel.’

  ‘I see. Would it help if you and your ship were designated ambassadorial?’

  Steven consulted with Babes, ‘Actually it would. According to our data banks, those designated as ambassadors, even if they do not belong to the great alliance, are accorded special dispensation when it comes to traveling through differe
nt sectors of space.’

  ‘Good Will Ambassador to Earth it is then,’ the President offered his hand and Steven shook it. ‘Congratulations Captain Gordon on becoming our newest ambassador. I have no doubt that you will do us proud.’

  ‘I am sure we will all do our best not to let you down sir.’

  ‘Now that is out of the way, I have a rather unpleasant task to perform, concerning a member of your crew.’

  Steven’s good mood evaporated, ‘Who would that be sir?’

  ‘A Scottish soldier that has been placed under your command. A Sergeant Charlie Morrison.’

  ‘It’s Murison, not Morrison.’

  A note had crept into Steven’s voice and the President noticed it. He held up a hand, ‘It came to my notice that certain members of our armed forces tortured the sergeant, causing him grievous bodily harm, and attempted to have him executed. I merely wish to apologise.

  Steven took a deep breath, ‘I will give him a call sir. In the meantime, would you like something to drink?’

  ‘Coffee,’ the President suggested.

  Steven sent a silent request to Charlie and fetched the President a coffee. They sat and watched the world below.

  The President took a sip and sighed, ‘I hear this Charlie is a friend of yours from your younger days in Scotland.’

  ‘We were neighbours, we grew up together until my mother and father moved to the States. Most years I went to Scotland for a few weeks during the summer break. Charlie and I were really tight back in those days.’

  The President nodded, ‘Was he in a bad way when you rescued him?’

  Steven put his cup down, ‘Charlie is more cyborg now than he is Human. My ship saved him and repaired him, but it cost him. By the time those animals had finished, there was very little of him left that she could save. Hands, feet, eyes, all gone. The only reason he was alive was because of the stimulants they gave him. Just about every bone in his body broken. Masses of brain damage.’ Steven shrugged, ‘The list goes on.’